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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594906">Shall Not Fail That Rendezvous</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiladhielLithvirax/pseuds/SiladhielLithvirax'>SiladhielLithvirax</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF CC-2224 | Cody, CC-2224 | Cody's Name Is Kote, Early Empire, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Order 66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:35:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,983</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiladhielLithvirax/pseuds/SiladhielLithvirax</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>His name was Cody. He was Trait-no-General Kenobi’s Commander. He was Marshall Commander Cody of the 7th Sky Division. </p><p>He was Cody. His General was alive. </p><p>And he’d just been assigned to hunt him down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Star Wars Fanfiction Discord</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Headache</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Started all of the based off a prompt by the lovely faeymouse over on Tumblr. The prompt was basically a post-order 66 Cody getting assigned to find Obi-wan and toss in some Bad Batch, some Palpatine and Vader Politics and stir. </p><p>This is the first story I've ever written and I hope you enjoy it!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He had a headache. It wasn’t a new sensation, years of war and death had inured him to any number of aches and pains but this was slightly different. He knew he couldn’t go to a medic. He was watched too closely to risk the decommissioning he would undoubtedly receive if he went to a medbay. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were phasing out his vod. He could see it happening here and there whenever one of them started making mistakes, getting sloppy, or even just disappearing. He tried to help. He was still the highest ranking vod in the Empire and troop deployments sometimes came across his desk and he knew his brothers, he knew their names, knew that sometimes assigning them to a far off outpost was better than keeping them under the thumb of the Emperor and his pet, Darth Vader. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something about that thought always made the ache worse. Darth Vader. At first, the black menace had wanted nothing to with him but then he’d found new orders assigning him to Vaders Fist and Vader had personally requested his presence in his battalion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So here he was. Overseeing a normal training exercise with the Fist and oh, how it helped to have brothers surrounding him. The relief was minimal however as none of them could seem to remember their names. He remembered of course, Coric, Bow, Boomer, Sterling, even Fox was assigned here. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The mat was open and it was his turn to step up, opposite Fox, who honestly looked strange without his red armour. But Fox was a wily bastard and if CC-2224 knew anything it was to not get distracted before facing him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pushing the ache to the back of his mind was easier with something normal to focus on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A knee hits the mat on his roll to his feet but something still crashes into him. Shoulder under his armpit and ankle around his ankle, something hits his head off the temple and he goes down before he makes it to standing. He turns it into a tumble, goes for a hold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The ache has flared into a ringing in his head, and all he can currently see is the bright lights of the room above him. Osik. He needs to get up. He needs to be okay. He needs to not be under threat of a medic. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pushing himself up makes the ringing somehow worse and CC-101-</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fox </span>
  </em>
  <span> is standing at the ready across from him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Next.” he manages to get out with enough strength it sounds almost correct and he’s never been more thankful for kriffing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kaminiise </span>
  </em>
  <span>training that lets his face betray nothing of how his mind is still spinning and ringing and the lights are too bright and holding himself steady is taking all of his not inconsiderable will. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He honestly doesn’t know how long he stands there, but suddenly troopers are dispersing to their duties and the almost clinical and perfect order of the troops makes something inside his chest seize and say </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong, wrong, this is wrong. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Walking back to his office leaves him remarkably grateful to have somewhere he can escape the pervasive sense that something has changed. The ringing has finally gone down but the ache is in a new part of his head and it’s all he can focus on to let nothing out of his inner turmoil to the troopers and natborns passing him by. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Locking the door behind him and all but collapsing into his desk chair leaves him gasping and he doesn’t know what went wrong but something did and he’s trying to remember- </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kind eyes-a metal cylinder- ”Blast Him!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Throwing up into his wastebasket probably wasn’t the best idea but there are things in his head and he doesn’t remember and it’s making him to hit something or cry or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something-</span>
  </em>
  <span>he can’t even tell. Sitting on the floor breathing has helped and he knows, he can’t do anything else, can’t alert anyone else or he’ll be like Thire, who was making the rounds one day and gone the next. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, something approaching order seems to manifest in his mind and he can’t tell if its good or not but he focuses on one thing and </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> it is the truth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I am Cody. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t remember how he knows and he can’t quite piece together the fragments racing through the background of his mind, </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Blonde hair - forearms gripped in his - Bunks in white-walled rooms</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he focuses on the one sentence and ignores all the rest. Eventually, that seems to work if the ringing is finally gone now and he can think for more than 2 seconds at a time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A datapad beeps and he knows he just got new orders and he knows he should get up and act like nothing is wrong but it has never been </span>
  <em>
    <span>so kriffing hard.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Levering himself up takes a lot more effort than he wants it to, but sitting at his desk again means that something is going right and he can focus on datawork. Mindless approvals and requisitions and keeping an army fully running takes maybe half a thought and his eyes keep catching on different words that he thinks shouldn’t be there or missing names. Empire. Imperial Center. The Republic Cog had shifted into fewer spokes and something was still twinging in his temple whenever he stopped long enough to stare at it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His messages are almost nonexistent as he flips through them, the earlier alert being a summons before Vader and his heart goes still. He needs to get it together before then and he cannot make any mistakes in the presence of him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A summons from Vader means he’s finally getting a new assignment and part of hin desperately hopes it’s away from the so-called Imperial Center but the other part wants to run down to the hangar and steal a ship filled with his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span> and run. But they’d never understand. The few brothers he still has access to are here and they’re not themselves. They answer to numbers and forgot their names and walk with precision and empty thoughts that scare him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No. He needs to act like nothing has changed and get to the bottom of all this </span>
  <em>
    <span>shabla osik.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He needs to figure out why his brothers are acting like clankers in a clone body and protect them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m not losing another man”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, General” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kriff. This ache was not going away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Standing at attention in front of Vader was both easier and harder than Cody had thought after a night of unrest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was something in the determined pacing of the man in front of him that sparked in the back of his head but he quickly pushed all thoughts away and waited for his new orders, never had he been more thankful for a blank bucket hiding his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vader finally stopped and turned to him with a focus that set Cody’s teeth on edge. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Commender, You will be leading a group of troopers to apprehend a traitor to the Empire. He has hidden himself well but I trust you will see the Emperor’s will be done.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, Lord Vader.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You will need to be a mobile unit and answer directly to my command, is that clear?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, Lord Vader.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. Your team will be 20 men and will be based here on Imperial Center for the time being, information has been sent to your datapad, you’re dismissed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Snapping a salute with a quick “Yes, Lord Vader” Cody turned and tried as hard as he could not seem like he was fleeing the sight of the man who made his head hurt all the more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Walking normally down these halls didn’t phase him as much after a day of getting his head back on straight and for all that he still felt a persistent dull ache in his head, he could still perform his duties and show none of his inner turmoil. Perks of being a CC he thought wryly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His office was the same as yesterday minus a brand new waste receptacle, and his datapads were right where he’d stack them. Time to find out just how he was gonna save his brothers while still managing to complete whatever </span>
  <em>
    <span>osik</span>
  </em>
  <span> assignment that warranted Vader’s special attention. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There, a new file upload and clearance codes on his pad and he’s opening it before he can think and-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kind blue eyes- a metal cylinder - cream robes- </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t know what I’d do without you, my dear Cody” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well Sir, let’s hope you never find out.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A cliff - A blue hologram - “Blast him!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His name was Cody. He was Trait-</span>
  <em>
    <span>no-</span>
  </em>
  <span>General Kenobi’s Commander. He was Marshall Commander Cody of the 7th Sky Division. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was Cody. His General was alive. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And he’d just been assigned to hunt him down. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Awake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cody had been a CC class clone. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jatnese be te jatnese. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew tactics. He knew politics. He knew how to achieve mission objectives with minimal casualties and he knew how to fight in a war. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of that was pressing in his mind as he contemplated the </span>
  <em>
    <span>haran</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was currently embroiled in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Streaks of a blue blade - “I don’t know what I’d do without you my dear Commander.”- pauldrons clicking together in a silent exchange </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kriff. If he was going to figure out how to get his brothers out of this mess and find his General then his head had to stop skittering away on half-remembered moments and impressions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His desk was neat and orderly, only his current mission datapad out in front of him and he knew, he couldn’t put anything where it could get sliced or read or tracked back to him. Setting down the datapad containing the information on General Kenobi- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Obi-wan</span>
  </em>
  <span>- his mind supplied helpfully was difficult. He wanted to stare at the picture and remind himself of everything he’d lost, the pieces still floating through his mind in a miasma of blaster fire, the smell of tea, and the easy press of </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span> at his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No. This was not the time to get lost in the patchwork of his mind. It was the time to plan and get his brothers out of this mockery of the GAR. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was in an enemy encampment. His brothers didn’t know they were prisoners. He had a mission to complete under the direct supervision of Darth Vader. All of his training and experience up this point led him to the very unhappy conclusion he was going to have to pull a plan he would never in a hundred years want to pull. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was going to have to pull a Skywalker.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A cocky smirk - heavy mechanized breathing - an Aethersprite skimming lightning-quick overhead </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First things first was gathering his resources and figuring out what to do about his brothers. Intel was the easiest thing to get in his current predicament and it meant he’d have to be very careful about slicing and contacting certain people. He didn’t even know who else had survived the Purge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting access to the kinds of files and unrestricted holonet avenues he’d need would be a start. Checking on those few contacts outside the direct purview of the now apparently defunct GAR he’d used during the war. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Blonde hair - forearms gripped with his - “Koyaci, ori’vod.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rex was on Mandalore he knew, previous to the Purge, but Cody knew that battleship had gone down on the moon with no survivors. Ashoka Tano had been marked as eliminated in the kill lists circulated after the fact. Cody knew, just like he knew his own name, that Rex wouldn’t be alive if Ashoka wasn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pressing his palms into his eyes as the ever-present ache in his head surged for a moment did very little to actually help him focus on the task at hand. Getting a natborns datapad or access codes for intel wouldn’t be terribly difficult but making sure nothing could be directly traced back to his own circumstance would require some thought and patience. For some reason the memories of Kamino were pretty much coherent and easy to remember. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A mop and a bucket - wrinkled hands holding his own - “I'm a soldier, like you. This is what I was bred for."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh. 99. Cody could remember him. He could remember reading his name on the casualty list from the attack on Kamino. Thinking through with that line of thought brought an almost smile to Cody’s lips. Yes. That might be just who he needed to get in contact with. Hopefully, they were still kicking around somewhere and out from under the thumb of the Emperor. Cody didn’t fully know just how the GAR came to be the new Imperial Army but every time he thought back to those last few days of the war his headache got infinitely worse. Something to figure out later when he could figure out the rest of the fragmented images and impressions swirling around his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A chime on his datapad distracted him from his spiraling any further and he levered himself up to look at the chrono on the wall. Right. He still had duties and a job to do. He was a good soldier he knew, and good soldiers follow orders. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Making his way back from his rounds on the base he hoped to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ka’ra</span>
  </em>
  <span> nobody needed him for anything else. He’d managed to swipe a datapad from one of the engineers bags left in the hanger earlier and hopefully this would have an unrestricted holonet access. Getting anything himself from outside army resources would raise too many red flags but grabbing a personal one from the natborn working in the hangar would hopefully circumvent the restricted and monitored access the clones had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Managing to find a way into the more public areas of the new base was harder to manage, but walking with blank armour and a steady walk got him a lot farther than it probably should. Half of him still wanted to make a note of the insufficient patrols and security he’d walked through but the other half was still focused resolutely on keeping himself still and determined enough to complete his self assigned mission. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Walking with purpose along this area of the base was a slight risk, the more public area being intended for higher ranking conferences and natborn officers conducting their business but hopefully being in armour and walking with purpose as he quickly logged onto a silly message board for an old holoreel that most definitely was no longer in syndication. Finding what he wanted took a little bit longer and he almost stopped where he was when he recognized the code he’d taught Hunter all those years ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally. Something he could grab onto in this strange dream he was having and drag himself above the pounding in his head to actually figure out what this strange new world was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Scanning the message quickly and decoding it however gave him a strange tightening in his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Chips down, rendezvous with the frynocks for a jate’ca’nara - Shek’eta She’cu </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chips. Locking his fingers around the datapad stopped him from full body flinching as that words ricocheted around his skull and sent the ache in his head to a steady pulse that threatened to fully topple his carefully controlled exterior. Just keep walking. Steady and sure, focus on the- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Blonde hair - “Fives was on to something, vod” - “He was raving at the end, totally incoherent.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barely able to conceal a gasp as the images flickered around his thoughts Cody turned sharply down the hall to lead him back to his office if he could just get there he’d be able to calm his mind enough to- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Blue eyes - “Breathe, steady in and out, focus on a single sensation...” - A gentle smile that was just so beautiful </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calming down from his near panic attack at the new images, he managed to reply to the messageboard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dar nuhoyir, Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman - Kote </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Powering off the datapad and making his way back to his office to store it behind the ventilation grate was the work of minutes and using his official datapad to approve the assignment of his 20 brothers to the newly minted Inquest Squad meant he’d have time on base to wait for a response and get his mind back under his own control again. Then it was time to pull the biggest assignment off yet, stealing his brothers from Empire. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a Translations! </p><p> jate’ca’nara - A good time <br/>Shek’eta She’cu - Ninety Nine <br/>Dar nuhoyir - I'm awake, Lit. No Slumber <br/>Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman - A friend during danger is a true friend <br/>vod - sibling<br/>haran - hell<br/>shabuir - bastard<br/>di'kut - idiot<br/>shebs - ass<br/>jatnese be te jatnese - best of the best</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Preparation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Acting like he was actively training a squad and searching for his General was honestly the easiest acting he’d ever done. Mostly because it was all true. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A ten-day into his new assignment meant he’d had time to get more of his head on straight and plan about three hundred ways of killing the </span>
  <em>
    <span>demagolka Kaminiise. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’d always had a lingering thought of how easy it would be to actually snap their long necks and his idle thoughts this past ten-day have only fueled the fantasy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That kriffing chip. Rex had tried to warn him he remembers, the mess that had come about when Fox shot him on Coruscant for trying to kill the Chancellor. And doesn’t that just set the tooka among the loth wolves. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Emperor Palpatine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. All fo the lofty goals of freedom and democracy his brothers had been raised to idolize, they had been raised to die for and it was all for one old man’s greed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Training his new squad was an exercise in restraint as much as it was getting so much of this burning useless anger out of his body. Cody hates even thinking it, but if any of his brothers were themselves he’d never have gotten away with it. Rex or Wooley or Wolffe would have kicked his </span>
  <em>
    <span>shebs</span>
  </em>
  <span> for bringing this much anger to a training spar. But they weren’t here. They were marching far away where he couldn’t follow yet. His General was out there and Cody was going to find him. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <span>He still hadn’t received word from the out-of-date holoreel message board he posted his plea to, but after a year and a half under the auspices of the Empire old Clone Wars dead drops probably aren’t a priority. Which means he’s on his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Planning for a strike squad to go after </span>
  <em>
    <span>jetii </span>
  </em>
  <span>surprisingly is giving him a lot of leeway in planning and maintaining his own counsel. Sending off summary reports to Vader seems to be enough to keep that cyborg out of his way for current circumstances. Slowly working through the list of known associates and planets his General was familiar with is a good cover for finding a way to get him and his brothers off this </span>
  <em>
    <span>haran </span>
  </em>
  <span>base. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alderaan, Naboo, Mandalore, Corellia, Korfo, Zeltross, even Chandrilla were all plausible planets Cody was steadily working his way through intelligence reports and the occasional random spacer sighting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of that was old hat after some of the crazier things he’d had to deal with during the wars, and while parsing through the sixth sighting he was positive had come from a species that didn’t know how to distinguish humans, he thought about where exactly his General would run to after his entire world crashed down in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What will you do?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sir?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“After the war. What do you think you and your brothers will do?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The question was posed in an absent manner, both of them sitting on a rock somewhere he couldn’t even remember the name of anymore, staring up at the sky full of stars and battleship silhouettes. Pauldrons pressed to each other there was a quiet feeling settling into the night. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think I’d like to see somewhere we’ve never been” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Somewhere untouched by war.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, Sir? What do you want to do?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think I’d like to see that too.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The memory comes easier now. After days of snippets and flashes grabbing on to one was much easier now. But his General had never really spoken of his plans after the war besides that single conversation. Alderaan was out, as much suspicion there was for Bail Organa, it was too precarious a place nad his friendship with the Viceroy was well known. Naboo was out as the home planet of Palpatine that would be a too heavily fortified position. Mandalore was a possibility but Cody doubted his General would ever return there after what had transpired with the Duchess. Reports from that district in Imperial Intelligence showed Bo-Katan had not remained in power long and Mandalore was under Imperial control. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jedi sites were a possibility to look into and probably somewhere he could get his squad to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Current reports said all known Jedi sites were locked down but hopefully he could find somewhere the Empire hadn’t managed to sack so far. Jedha was out, Dantooine and Ossus were some of the first places cleared. Current Imperial entanglements in those areas also meant it was not a good place to get waylaid by pirates. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Among the list of previous Jedi encounters during Order 66 one other catches his eye. It’s mostly redacted, a lot higher up on the clearances Cody will ever have access to, but from what he remembers beforehand, listening to the General conduct Council matters from the Bridge, General Yoda was on Kashyyk. To reinforce General Unduli. Kashyyk. Alaris Prime. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come on, General! Gundarks don’t act like that!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“ I assure you Wooley I have a great many memories of Gundarks acting precisely as such.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That, Sir, sounds like a story.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, it was during my padawan days and I managed to find out that my Master, Qui-gon Jinn was, in fact, indecipherable from a Wookie under the right circumstances...” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alaris Prime. An old Jedi Temple, in the Kashyyk system, which was mostly under sedate Imperial control and lots of traffic to other areas in the mid and outer rim. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew more than enough intel to know he couldn’t just pick Alaris Prime without a rationale to account for the logic, but building a data trail backward was much easier with a destination in mind. He couldn’t have the dated files accessed too quickly though, had to space out his thinking and just make himself appear competent, but not dangerously so. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The transport out to the temple will help as well. Four cycles there plus whatever time they decide to take finding the temple on the moon will be enough to hopefully sort out the chip still in his brother’s heads. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sifting through old requisitions work is as mind-numbing as every but nets him a medical droid and a surgical droid being removed to make room for updated systems. Rerouting the storage room number on the request is easy </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With most of his more pressing supplies for this trip underway, and the intel data trail just needs good old fashioned time to percolate, Cody was set for the next couple of days which of course was exactly when a summons to update Vader appeared with a chime on his datapad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kriff. Shielding himself during the meeting was going to be tough, but with the newfound, albeit rocky, mental stability he had it should work fine. Never before had he been more thankful of those meditation lessons his General had started leading after a few too many run-ins with Ventress. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Breathe, steady in and out, focus on a single sensation. Let your thoughts drift past you.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s hard. Harder than he honestly expected for an activity that involves sitting in silence. But war has been etched into his bones and between the constant background of brothers going about their duties and the easy breathing of the man sitting in front of him and oh, that sounds like Wooley picking on the new batch of shinies, gotta make sure- </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A hand brushes his forearm. “Cody, breathe with me, let all of the other noise just wash away. In and out.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Focusing on his General was the easiest thing Cody had ever had to do. The light pressure still on his forearm and the warm calm that always surrounded the General as familiar to him by this point as his rifle. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Standing at attention in front of a pacing Vader was somewhat less intimidating than previously. Though that might be because this time Cody’s brain isn’t trying to pound its way out of his skull. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s still something that prickles in the back of his mind as he watches the impatient pacing of the cyborg in front of him. As the black robes swirl the prickling intensifies but he wrestles all discomfort deep inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He is a clanker in a clone body for this meeting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The anger in Vader has certainly not abated, but he’s at least standing behind the conference table now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You will give me your report on the Traitor Kenobi.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Lord Vader. According to previous Imperial Intelligence reports, such planets as Alderaan, Naboo, Mandalore, Corellia, and Chandrila can all be discounted from possible search. “ If Cody was anyone else he might have missed the slight flinch that went through Vader at the mention of Naboo, but he’d been reading body language under full body armour his whole life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Further research suggests possible Traitor hideouts and outposts shall be of interest.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good. Your mission is to apprehend the Traitor no matter the cost.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My lord? Orders are immediate neutralization of all traitors to the Empire.” Cody had a bad feeling about this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Commander. Apprehend. Kenobi will die by my hand and no one else’s.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Lord Vader.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Osik.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Pace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fox. Pace. Sterling. Mixer. Bow. Leigh. Quiet. Thrasher. Buck. Reed. Cale. CT-3070. Barlex.  Threepwood. Boil. Crys. CT-4673. CT3256. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All his brothers. A mix of 501st and 212th that Cody is going to drag to safety and drag awake from the nightmare those chips turn them into. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace is his first plan for getting the chip out. Medics are always important and with Pace awake he can coordinate the other brothers better in terms of chips and after-effects. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ka’ra</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his own memories of what the chip made him do almost killed him. If he hadn’t gotten the direct confirmation of his General still alive while his chip was malfunctioning Cody highly doubted he’d be where he was today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Squad Trill-Senth, attention!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mechanical precision and utter silence in which his order was carried out made something go tight and unsteady in his chest. This was wrong. So very very wrong.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Operational start in 3 hours, troopers. Load up into transport peth-herf-46 in hanger besh.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, yes, Sir.” Came the near-simultaneous response.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That really didn’t help the tightening in his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The thing about being a clone in the Imperial army was you were both expendable and invisible to any and all natborn officers in any outpost. Thus a squad of 20 clones appearing at a Kashyyk base for a refuel on the way to Alaris Prime was barely registered by the mix of clones and stormtroopers manning the outpost. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stopping here was just a good excuse to get rid of the trackers and other potentially damaging things on the transport ship requisitioned for this mission. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting back underway as quickly as possible was easy to manage with his brothers being chipped into obedience. And pulling Pace aside for an inventory of the small onboard med suite was easy enough to manage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jabbing the hypo he’d palmed into Pace’s neck as soon as the door swished close behind him, Cody carried him over to the bed and activated the med droid he’d left on standby.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He has a piece of shrapnel in his brain. Remove it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Begining scans... Scan complete. The procedure will take 3 hours.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Good. The hypo will last that long and they’ll be underway for another full cycle, so the only thing to possibly affect the operation is if someone needs the medbay. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rewriting the door code from the inside will stop anyone from accessing through the main hallway, and checking in on the rest of the men was a somewhat useless endeavor when they were all exactly where he had left them, checking over their equipment and waiting for orders in the jump seats scattered along the main hold. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Troopers. Landfall in one standard cycle. Make ready for dark recon in 22 hours. Dismissed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, yes, Sir.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Walking to the small officer bunk room past the armory, and Cody had to double back for a moment. Most of the men didn’t have blasters on them at this moment and any extra ammunition was stored here. They weren’t suspecting anything and if he could lock the armory before anyone got de-chipped, honestly, that would probably stop one or two of the brothers from eating their own blaster. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was going to be a long issue of suicide watches when this whole operation was underway, Cody knew it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ka’ra </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’d been in his bunk thinking about eating his own blaster that night the chip was shaken loose. All he could see back then had been an endless loop of a falling body hitting the waters below. The loop still plays non-stop in his mind whenever he’s given a moment of rest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. He’s not going to let these brothers march far away. They will live and get to see the life so many of their </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span> had marched away to ensure. If that meant dropping them off on some backwater rim-world to live out the rest of their days farming melioorun that’s what he’s going to do. If that means another decade of war sabotaging as many Imperial plans as possible and funneling information to the Rebellion then Cody is going to be right there with them and tear down the Empire that enslaved his brothers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cody was going to do everything in his power to destroy the Empire that had killed his Jedi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The inside of his eyelids burned with the image of a robed figure falling off that cliff. It was easier to push it away and focus on his brothers, his</span>
  <em>
    <span> vod</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but sometimes when left alone with his thoughts at night, those memories were all he could think about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Blast him!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>In those moments he felt like he was in the middle of a Kaminoan storm, all but drowning in the knowledge he had killed the man he would have dies for, the man he </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> have died for. Shot down on his orders. The years of the war blurred together but Cody and his General always made it through. Christophsis. Ryloth. Felucia. Geonosis. Jabiim. A hundred other battles on a hundred different planets hadn’t managed to kill his General. Cody did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a part of him that was always in his head, saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrongwrong this is wrong. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It got louder during those dark nights. He hadn’t yet figured out what was right. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Four hours later and Cody is in the Medbay again. Pace should be waking up from sedation soon and Cody will be there for whatever comes. Sitting at the bedside of a brother is slightly comforting in a way. The medbay is too small and there’s a droid trundling around instead Helix on a warpath, but it feels better to know that one of his brothers will be back after this. Maybe not all there, and definitely not okay, but back. Without a chip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Helix I promise you, I am alright.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“All due respect General, but Kriff that. You had 5 cracked ribs, a sprained ankle, and a dislocated shoulder.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, yes, but there are men who definitely need this bed more than I. I can just as easily rest in my quarters as I can here.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No. This bed is yours for the next 12 hours.” With that Helix turned away and stalked off to no doubt terrorize another vod currently at his tender mercy. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Commander- “</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You heard Helix, Sir, 12 hours.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t think I won’t remember this the next time you’ve been relegated to Helix’s care, my dear.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m counting on it, Sir.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Commander?” Came a whisper from the bed to his right and Cody wrenched himself back to the present. Back to his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pace, how’s your head?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What...what did we </span>
  <em>
    <span>do?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We lost.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s- I don’t- Commander?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you remember?” A hiss and a hand coming up to touch the shaved section of his hair is the only response to that question. But the hand clenches and Pace is shaking and clutching his head and the only thing Cody can do is comfort his brother like its a dark Kamnioan night and they’re hiding from the longnecks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Udessi, vod, udessi... Ni olar, Udessi.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Gathering a fully grown brother is much different from a small cadet in bright white halls, but it’s similar enough to the hundreds of times he’d done this during the war his hands automatically move to restrain Pace’s frantic scrabbling and keeping heavy pressure on the back of his neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After Utapau, the non-aggression chip the Kaminoans put into us was activated. It became a slave chip and we’ve been serving the Empire every since.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? But- the General- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kriff. </span>
  </em>
  <span>What did we do?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What we were ordered to do, Pace.” The sound of his name seemed to finally sink in, the whole-body trembling calming a little even with the desperate tremor in Pace’s words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go-good soldiers follow-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” left his mouth in a snarl that he had to reign back in for his brother’s sake. Anger could come later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Udessi vod. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Y</span>
  <span>our name is Pace. You were a medic in the 212th Battalion of the 3rd Systems Army. I’m here. You’re alright now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shaking had mostly stopped with the confident reaffirmation of Pace. There would be long talks to come and long nights watching his brothers, but the surgery looked like it had been a success. Pace was still breathing hard and his hands clenched and unclenched the bedsheets under him. Cody let him go, keeping his hand on the back of his neck as he resettled to bring Pace’s forehead up to touch his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pace. I have another 19 </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod </span>
  </em>
  <span>outside who are still under control of that kriffing chip, and I need your help.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A deep breath and Pace’s eyes narrowed as he put together the circumstances he’d woken up in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Commander, fill me in.” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cody sighed as he closed out the datapad and placed it back onto the desk in his closet of an administrative office aboard the transport. Nothing. None of his dead drops on the Holonet have responded. He’s not sure if it’s that they’ve stopped checking them or if the people on the other side are gone. Marching far away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ka’ra</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he really doesn’t want to add more names to his litany. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rex and he had a dead drop on a Senator Amidala fan page that was suspiciously clean and missing half of the passionate defenses of democracy and human rights it had once boasted. Not to mention the photo gallery was missing quite a few choice shots Cody knew for a fact had come from the 501st. Re-creations had been the nose paint on some of the LAATs Rex had in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Resolute</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The reaction faces General Skywalker had gone through after first seeing Hardcase paint them was truly welcome payback for some of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>osik</span>
  </em>
  <span> Skywalker put them through. The fact Senator Amidala had been the one to approve of the art meant Skywalker couldn’t even be too angry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bacara’s dead drop was silent still, along with Hunter’s and Ponds. The message he left for Clone Force 99 a few weeks ago was still silent, but Cody can’t expect anyone to keep an eye on dead drops from the Clone Wars over a year later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There are a few drops Cody can’t even contemplate without feeling like his heart was going to pound out of his chest and he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You know my Master had a saying, one I know you’ve heard me tell Anakin.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This wouldn’t happen to be about your lightsaber and how it never seems to stay in your possession for long, would it General?” Blue eyes narrowed at the smirk Cody was definitely not trying to hide. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, well, A Jedi’s Lightsaber is their life, you know. We find our Kyber crystals through a trial, they become part of us when we build our sabers. What I’m trying to say, Commander is that I never have to worry when you have my saber, I trust you with it.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir. You look like banthashite.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boil. How are the surgeries?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got five. Me, Pace, Crys, Fox, and you. We’re coming up on Alaris Prime in a bit though, Pace sent me to tell you he’s stopping to be ready for landing.” Boil was leaning on the wall next to the closed door. None of the de-chipped brothers should probably be up and coming on a mission this soon, but Cody didn’t have much of a choice if he was going to get the entire squad de-chipped and out from under the Empire’s thumb. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, the planet and temple should be ruins, The plan is to rotate the entire squad at times under our command to give Pace and the med droids access to every brother before we leave this rock.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roger, roger, Commander.” Boil was just fast enough to duck out back into the hallway before the stylus Cody threw hit the door he’d closed behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something in Cody’s chest eased at the ease with which the de-chipped </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod </span>
  </em>
  <span>came back to themselves. Boil had barely reacted when told just what fresh new </span>
  <em>
    <span>haran </span>
  </em>
  <span>they were all now living. Crys had broken down, and Fox was so angry and sharp he seemed to draw blood every time he even opened his mouth. Yet all of them had listened to Cody’s plan and agreed to help free their </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span> from the chips. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace had been working non-stop, Cody should probably check on their stim inventory and make sure someone sat on him for a few hours of rest when they hit planetside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pushed himself up from his desk as the orbit alert went out from the intercom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Making his way down the hallway toward the drop seats slowly filling with troopers, Cody had to get his head on straight. They were not all brothers yet. That would come. He had to be ‘24 for just a bit longer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grabbing the strap above his head to brace for any turbulence getting out of orbit, Cody saw the rest of his squad standing ready at attention for disembarking orders. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, troopers 2153, 2010, 3689, and 1010 will be leads for each scout party. 3689, You will remain at the ship and secure a perimeter. 2010 and 2153 take your troops and scout 5 kliks to the perimeter of the valley we’ll be landing in. 1010 and I will be taking our group to scout for the objective. Keep comms chatter quiet and be on the lookout.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, Yessir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Be ready for landfall in 25, 3689, over here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace made his way over to him through the straps and troopers checking their kits and Cody motioned for them to get out into the hall. Making sure none of the other men could hear, Cody gave Pace his best flat look he had perfected during the wars when his General was doing something stupid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When was the last time you slept?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The not so insignificant part of Cody that still wished he was in the wars, was incredibly amused by turning this question back on the 212th’s dogged medic. Pace had surely chased after him and the General for their sleeping habits often enough. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The droll look Pace sent was slightly less effective due to the clear exhaustion present, but it did nothing to diminish that he was acutely aware of the humour. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can get 6 hours while the squads are on their assignments.” Pace sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good. I’ll be rotating each group back to you for surgery each day, then they’ll have a day of fortification duties while we investigate the ruins.” Cody sighed, “We’re going to have to keep a close eye when 3070 gets his chip out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re partnering each brother up for now, but we should double up on ‘70?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Lek. He was running artillery on Utapau.” Pace started at that, looking at him with a shrewd look all medics must have learned on Kamino. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we’ll look out for ‘70.” Pace kept that steady stare, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ori’vod. </span>
  </em>
  <span>We’re here for you, too. You’ve been on a mission ever since you woke up. You need to rest as well.” Putting his hand on the back of Cody’s neck, Pace squeezed with light pressure. It was a familiar hold, and something in him eased. It was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span> gesture. Something from bright white </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kaminii </span>
  </em>
  <span>bunk rooms and long hours in hyperspace on the way to another far-flung world where some brothers would march away forever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pace... I can’t.” Cody pulled Pace into a Keldabe, gently rating their forehead together. It was as much connection as it was hiding from Pace’s still steady stare. “If I think about that day, if I think about the time since that order... I can’t right now. Just take care of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’ll be fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A scoff was the immediate response to that familiar refrain, “If I had a credit for every time you or the General fed me that line I’d be richer than a senator.” Pace leaned back and scrubbed a hand over his eyes in a clear indication of exhaustion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cody took a step back and looked back towards the loading bay, “C’mon, we’re probably close to landfall and we get our brothers out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace looked up with a glare, “Don’t think I’m forgetting about this. As soon as we’re not surrounded by brothers who don’t even know their kriffing names, you’re getting the closest thing to a psych eval I can figure out in this </span>
  <em>
    <span>haran</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing was left for Cody to do but meet his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> eyes and nod in acknowledgment. Pace sighed and turned to head back to the loading bay. Cody waited till the door was once again shut behind him and leaned back against the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You know Sir, I think I’ve figured it out.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Figured what out, Commander?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“After the war. What I’m going to do.” The datapad in his hand is definitely not what he’s currently focusing on, and he can see from the corner of his eye the General slowly lower his own datapad down to the Desk-Where-We-Do-Reports. Keeping his gaze on his own requisition order in front of him is hard when he just wants to look up and meet the blue of his General, but he can’t look at him when he’s saying this. “I’m staying with you.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cody.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His name will never sound as good as it does with the lightest lilt of a Coruscanti accent, and he can’t look up, he can’t stare at copper hair and blue eyes and keep his calm, he can’t-  </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ner Al’verde. Look at me, please.” Hands covered in scars and calluses are achingly gentle when they cup his face and lean it to touch the General’s forehead with his. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cody. you and your brothers will have whatever they desire when this war ends. They will be able to see peace and the Jedi will do whatever it takes to ensure that promise. I will always welcome your friendship and cherish the vod’e. You will be able to choose any number of-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Obi-wan.” The name drips from his lips with an ease he never expected. “I know all of that. Di’kut. I’ll still be here. I want to be with you. That’s what I mean. My brothers can chase peace across all the worlds they find. I’ve found what I want in my life.” The hands cupping his face had shifted, one tracing the end of the scar on his cheek, the other resting lightly on the nape of his neck. It had stilled partway through Cody talking, and Obi-wan was still as well. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t deserve you.” Obi-wan’s normally clear voice was low and hoarse. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“See? Utreekov. I don’t care. You have me. Darasuum.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cody is still leaning against the wall outside the loading bay when the landfall warning blares over the speakers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right. ‘24 was still on duty. One last mission. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A Cannon Shot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ohh boy. This was a hard chapter. I think I re-wrote one part of it about 4 different times and I think it will finally hit right.  I'm also updating the tags on this because writing does not go where you expect it to! Also, all of your comments are amazing and I am astounded by everything and so very awed by all of the response to my first ever story posted! Really, thank you!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Trudging through a jungle on a forgotten moon reminded Cody a bit too much of the more esoteric missions his General used to take on. Half of those missions were probably not even brought to the attention of the entire High Council. His general was a scholar at heart though, and taking a week long mission to investigate far flung temples was as much of a leave they could rangle for the 212th during those later years of war and death. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Drop his General in a library or an archive and he’d forget a world existed outside of the stacks. It was on par with when they got a new batch of shinies and the General insisted on giving them their battalion brief himself. Seeing the genuine care and earnestness of their new General promising them the 212th wasn’t Kamino and they could all find names and hobbies never failed to put a warmth in Cody’s chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Commander. This is 3689, You’re needed at basecamp.” Came through on his helmet comm jarring him from the monotonous walk and reminiscing. Pace wouldn’t be calling him back unless there was something wrong. Cold fear trickled down Cody’s spine before he could stop it. It was one thing to plan with your brothers to turn traitor and free a squad of troopers, but it would only take one misstep before those same troopers realized something was off and started shooting so-called treasonous behavior. Cody remembered when his squad had returned to their ship after Utapau. Not every brother had been immediately activated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Forcefully pushing those memories down, Cody stowed his rifle on his back and motioned for a stop to the men around him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lifting his wrist comm he opened the channel to Pace, “3689, 2224 inbound. ETA 24 minutes.” Turning to gather the troopers who had all taken guard position in the interim stop, Cody hated that he still had to be ‘24. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Further support needed at basecamp. Head back.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, yessir.” came the still eerily synchronized reply from the 4 men not-yet-de-chipped around him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The plan was for Cody, Crys, and Boil to take different squads out and isolate a small number of brothers while Pace and the droid worked to do surgery on the few brothers remaining at base camp under the guise of medical boosters and Force resistance implants. The irony of telling his brothers they were getting an implant to make them resistant to Force tricks while actually taking out a control chip was not lost on Cody, but he guessed blind obedience of the chips was useful in this respect. None of the men had blinked twice at the idea of ‘upgrades’ if it was couched as a command from higher up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace calling him back early was unexpected and Cody dreaded what he’d find. Fox was back at camp with Pace, and any issues that came up those two together couldn’t deal with did not give Cody confidence in the situation he was walking into. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walk back was silent, the troopers following him keeping mission silence as was the norm, and while it was good procedure it just gave Cody more time to examine the situation. Fox should be keeping most of the still chipped brothers out doing general work for basecamp, and any brothers who have already been de-chipped will be in the ship with Pace or small crew quarters onboard. The group left behind for first surgeries is Bow, Judge, Barlex, 307- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shiny CT-3070. Didn’t join the 212th till a couple months before Utapau, had barely earned his paint before being assigned ground troop divisions in Pau City. He was assigned a base outpost for his first ground battle, specifically an artillery cannon near the staging zone. More specifically the exact artillery cannon that Cody happened to be standing next to when Order 66 went through. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Osik. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Cody’s chip had been non-functional before he got the info his General was alive and out in the wider galaxy he doesn’t want to think about what he would have done. He knew the General. He knew the General would never have wanted any of them to blame themselves for doing something based on the kriffing chip stuck in their heads by the </span>
  <em>
    <span>demagolka Kaminiise, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but that doesn’t mean any of his brothers are just okay. Cody has read the reports, seen the remains of the fires burned in every open space of the Temple for bodies no one had wanted to look at. Some of his brothers had been part of that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Pace had thought of that fact, that some of their </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span> would want nothing more than to eat their blasters first time they closed their eyes. The best protocol they had was pairing up and just watching, but that might just be the reason Pace wanted him back here. If 3070 is going through what Cody thinks he is, that shiny is about one wrong word from shattering into a thousand pieces. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Did you have to do that, Sir?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, my dear Commander.” The mirth barely being held back in blue, blue eyes was certainly proof that the General knew exactly what he was doing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You just want shinies hand delivering you tea for the week don’t you?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Commander, as I am sure you are aware, Pace and Helix have limited our caffeine intake to 500 mg of caffeine per day.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh I’m aware.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Then it was especially good that our new arrivals have only heard my welcome speech so far. A welcome speech where I made sure to mention how you take your caf and I take my tea.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“General?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes dear?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Gar ne'shab'dinuyc.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Commander. You say the sweetest things.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir. 3689 requires your assistance in the med bay.” is what brings him out of further painful memories of laughing blue eyes and shining copper hair. The trooper standing in front of him, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buck- his name is Buck from the 501st</span>
  </em>
  <span>, simply reports and stands aside at attention as Cody moves past him with a quick salute. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Making sure the loading bay doors are closed behind him Cody walks down the hall to the small on-board med bay, taking a deep breath before tapping the access pad to the right of the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ships med bay is not a particularly big room, just enough for 3 beds and storage for the droids and medical tools necessary. The surgical droid Cody had procured was currently resting in it’s charging port and it seemed at first glance as if nothing was wrong. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of laboured breathing was the first clue, followed by the huddled form of a brother trying to barricade himself in a corner with Pace sitting beside him. Pace had looked up on the door opening, but didn’t yet make any movements to shift from his position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Cody made his way over, the trooper flinched at the noise, head shooting up and body flinching away further into the corner. The Commander took a tentative step towards the corner, which covered most of the gap between the three men. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Vod</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” the Commander asked softly. The ‘70’s breathing was erratic, eyes wide and almost unseeing as they looked at him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Vod</span>
  </em>
  <span>, can I touch you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cody settled down beside him closer than normal, the men always craved physical contact after a battle. And getting de-chipped was no doubt the hardest battle his brothers had ever faced. He kneeled down in front of his two brothers, Pace with a hand still on ‘70’s shoulder and brought one hand up to cup the back of the young trooper’s neck, drawing a few more shuddering breaths from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly the kid began to bend over toward his knees, shoulders shaking and fists clenched in his blacks. Instantly Cody put his other hand on the unoccupied shoulder, pressing his face into the kid's regulation length hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They- we were- </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t-” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Is all that cody can make out between ragged breaths and shaking, a litany of no-how-</span>
  <em>
    <span>what did I do? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Udessi, vod, ku’ur.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cody watched as the kid openly struggled for control, flexing his hands and trying to even his breathing into some semblance of restraint. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace had moved away a bit, ceding his place by ‘70’s side as Cody took over comforting their brother. They had both performed this duty countless times in battles past, being the touchstone a brother could rely on and bring them through the crushing weight of war and death.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Commander-what did we-</span>
  <em>
    <span>I-do?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” came the most recent whisper, forced out of chest still shaking with sobs and horror. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We did what we were ordered. We did what the Empire wanted us to and because they knew we wouldn’t do it knowingly they took our minds from us.” Cody sighed, shifting until he was side by side with ‘70, leaning against the wall. “They didn’t see us as people, and so they ensured we couldn’t disobey. That’s not on you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod,</span>
  </em>
  <span> that’s not on any of us. Nothing you did under the chip was your fault. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I did it! I shot the- oh gods, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>General</span>
  </em>
  <span>-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
  <span> General Kenobi did not die on Utapau. General Kenobi did not die on our orders. Many people have tried and failed to kill him during that </span>
  <em>
    <span>haran</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and we were just another name on that list. If he was here he’d tell you himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was not your fault.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cody kept a steadying hand on the back of ‘70’s neck, dragging their foreheads together to look his brother in the eye, “The mission I’ve been given by Vader is hunting down the General. Now I’m all for finding our </span>
  <em>
    <span>jetii</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but no one is going to be killing him under our watch, right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shaking had mostly subsided under Cody’s rant, and wide eyes still wet with tears were trained like a lodestone on his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I need you to follow my breathing.” Guiding ‘70’s hand to his own chest, Cody breathed deliberate and slow. ‘70 tried his best to follow along, gasping with a hiccup or cough every few breaths, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get you out of that armour,” Cody muttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>3070 shifted slightly, allowing his commander to reach the latches hidden behind plastoid plates. It wasn’t the same armour they’d worn for years, but it was similar enough the muscle memory was still there for how to help a brother out of the stark white plates. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That lack of color was always a bit jarring, his brothers forced into the indistinguishable facade the clones had always been accused of being. ‘70 twisted a bit, burrowing further into Cody’s grip as he gave access to the back plates. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His breathing had mostly steadied and while his eyes were still wide and scared, there was new determination and care in them that told Cody his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod </span>
  </em>
  <span>would be just fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Commander?” came the hushed whisper from the face pressing into his shoulder, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re really going to find the General? He’s really okay?” The tentative hope and trust in the questions was apparent, and Cody couldn’t lie, he couldn’t give these men who had been lied to their whole lives anything but the truth. Not anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if he’s okay. We’re going to find him though. No matter what.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was staring at a report, but the numbers didn’t seem to make sense. There were numbers and designations of brothers that </span>
  </em>
  <span>should not be there.</span>
  <em>
    <span> They were blurry. He knew he needed to sign off on the new requisition requests but something was stopping him from doing what he’d already done hundreds of times in the past. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A door opened, and he couldn’t look up, couldn’t have anyone know, he was </span>
  </em>
  <span>fine, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he could do his job, he could- </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Arms wrapped around his back and shoulder, tugging him into cream tunics and the scent of tea and storm. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cody.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His name. Said softly, like it had meaning, like it was </span>
  </em>
  <span>Important.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Blurriness was overtaking his eyes and everything was too much and his breathing was too fast, he knew that, if he could just- </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A sweep of calm overtook him, and the hand at his shoulder moved into close-cropped curls. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know nothing I can say can ever make this better, can ever bring back Wooley or any of the other men lost, but just know, you will always be precious to me. All of your brothers are unique and special and such amazing lights in this galaxy. You are worth more than what everyone has ever told you.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cody’s arms had moved around a slim waist and bunched in rough fabric, still tense, just breathing trying to ground himself in a man who was worth everything to Cody and would never believe it. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You are important, Cody. You and your brothers are some of the best men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. This war is hard, and terrible, but it has brought all of you to us, and for that, I will bring as many of your brothers through it as I can.”  </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cody took in a deep breath and lifted his head from the shoulder he had been crying into. Blue eyes met his and Cody didn’t want to know what the General would see when he was so scraped raw. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“General, you’re the best of us too you know that? We’re with you. No matter what.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. To Hide Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was stuck staring at this chapter for 4 days before I was able to put down more than 50 words. Then I accidentally wrote out an entire chapter of nothing but a flashback. So I rewrote it! Hopefully, I'll be faster with the next chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rubbing his eyes as he left the med bay Cody looked up and saw Pace waiting for him leaning against the back wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got Bow and Judge taking a nap in the barracks, they were the two before ‘70. Squad Besh left with Boil after getting de-chipped before this.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The immediate update on the situation was appreciated, but Pace has always been one of the more steady brothers. Cody wonders if it’s just something all the medics are decanted with. Kriffing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kaminii. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace is still looking at him, and belatedly Cody realizes he never answered the medic. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Osik</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s going to be noted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who else is left in Squad Cresh?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just Barlex.” Pace is getting that look in his eyes both Cody and the General had learned to fear. He darts a surreptitious glance at Pace’s hands, one of which is clutching a datapad, and the other is seemingly free of any hypos. Cody lets out a breath and brings his gaze back up to meet his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod’s.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See if Bow or Judge are awake and can keep watch on ‘70. I left him sleeping but if we’re continuing this mission then we need to get brothers de-chipped now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pace nodded along as Cody spoke, but his eyes were narrowed and focused unerringly on his face by the time he was done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, yessir. Are you going to join them in the barracks for some down time? Or do I have to grab the hypo you’re definitely not watching for?”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cody fought hard to stop the clenching of his teeth, under a bucket he could hide any facial ticks, but Pace was still looking at him like Cody was about to keel over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. I’m heading to my office then resting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Haat</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” The trooper eyed him and moved off toward the barracks with a slight nod. No doubt planning the exact moment he’d burst in on him later to check if Cody was still awake</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t done anything too draining during the day, but sitting with ‘70 and reliving what it was like to order fire on his own General left him feeling raw and stretched thin. It was probably good he wasn’t in charge of drills or a scouting mission at this moment.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cody managed to get back to the makeshift office before he fully collapsed in the chair, rubbing his hands over his face to try and stave off the exhaustion dragging at his bones. Research. He had to do research. He had to figure out where in this kriffed up galaxy might be safe to take 20 clones and successfully hide them from the Empire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grabbed the stashed datapad from the drawer on his left, time to put the General’s political lessons to some use, and see if he can pinpoint any of the areas of discontent within Imperial rule. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cody, let’s get the men up and off this planet before nightfall. I don’t want to extend our stay another minute.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sir, you’d rob the queen of such illustrious company so quickly?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Commander, we are going to jump to hyperspace. Then I am going to meditate and read the book Ahsoka brought for me from the Temple. There are only so many advances I can remain politely oblivious to, and the number is swiftly dwindling down.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes sir.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Take note, my dear, politics is a game played where everyone is lying, and the few people you can trust are infinitely precious.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well sir, there’s a reason they gave me a blaster and not citizenship.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A laugh startles out of the man by his side, “Yes, Cody, I fear they knew all too well how dangerous it would be to give rights to you and your brothers.” The General stops, and lays a light hand on his forearm, stopping their walk to the hangar, his eyes are determined when they meet Cody’s. “There are plans in the works to rectify the situation, my dear. Bail and I have been working on certain Senators for months, but we cannot afford to misstep, for all our sakes.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I-we trust you, Sir.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And I will do everything possible to deserve that trust.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Osik</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He needed a berth. Thumbing through the general holonews was useful because Cody had made sure to get a good look at whatever intel he could before leaving base on Coruscant. The discrepancies between the two were rather telling. Lothal was one, framed in the news as an insignificant world with nothing but a routine Imperial presence and happily complying with the new regime. The intel he’d seen before he left blew that picture right out of the sky, battalion after battalion was sent down to crush any rebellious thought and was still a fuel tank about to erupt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ryloth was another place where intel did not match what the holonews was saying. Parsing through his remembered intel and the propaganda fluff of the Empire was tedious, but Ryloth it seemed had an organized resistance force that was making any planet in the Ryloth system rather contentious at the moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment Cody imagined bringing Boil back to Ryloth and joining whatever cell had formed there. Finding Numa would be almost impossible at this point, but the idea of fighting for something that mattered with people that might know them was severely tempting. But his men were tired, and more than a little broken. None of the openly rebellious planets would provide the type of cover they needed to get back on their feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The General though, he might be on one of those planets, helping to free whoever he can and no doubt working himself into an early grave. Cody imagined it, for just a moment, familiar copper and the bright blue of a saber, rushing ahead determined to protect everyone he possibly could. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“-you will always be precious to me.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head Cody tries to focus back on the words in front of him. Lothal was out, so was Ryloth, and the ever expanding reaches of the Empire into the outer rim meant everyone there would be doubly on edge if 20 clones popped up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something caught his eye on the corner of the screen. Alderaan was hosting a commemoration for Moff Tarkin, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>shabuir</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It struck Cody as a bit strange, to hold a commemoration for a Moff not on Coruscant, not in the lap of the Emperor. Certainly a statement of full support for the new regime, that was for sure. But now, post chip, post CC-2224, Cody remembered Bail Organa. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no better hiding place than to not be hiding at all. Cody couldn’t remember if that piece of training came from a longneck, a Cuy’val Dar, or his General, but it was undoubtedly true. Bail Organa was a friend of the Generals, and if some of the intel he’d seen in regards to reports on Mon Cala were true, there was a chance Organa was not the perfect obedient Imperial Senator he was playing at. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cody knew the General had been friends with Organa, and no one who could actually claim to be friends with the General was capable of being an Imperial lackey. The question was how to get into contact with the man without either blowing any plans he might have or ruining the care with which Cody is absconding with his brothers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rough plan in place for a haven, or even just information to find a haven, Cody moved on to check the dead drops he’d updated back on base. The CC class one was silent still, but for as long as he’d had the message up it wasn’t terribly surprising. Over a year into the Empire and Cody knew he’d be hard pressed to think any of his other brothers got out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thumbing over to another brainless holo discussion board Cody almost dropped the datapad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There. Right under his previous message, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jate’vaar’tur, Ori’vod. Cuun Mar’eyir eyayah. K’oyacyi - Shek’eta She’cu </span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>
    <span>Ka’ra. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They had hope. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a translates to "Good morning, Big Brother. We Find Echo. Stay Alive- ninety-nine"</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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